Sunday, 7 May 2017

Sydney comes alive during winter

Sydney, Australia's liveliest city, does not rest during winter with late May and early June seeing the city spark into full colour during the Vivid Festival.

Over 23 nights, from Friday, May 26, to Saturday, June 17, the city will be bathed in the brilliance of 90 installations and projections, created by more than 180 Australian and international artists, across seven precincts including for the first time, recently opened Barangaroo (South).

Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said the unveiling of Vivid Sydney's biggest and best-ever festival was just around the corner and Sydney is preparing to play host to a huge influx of visitors.

“As we countdown to opening night, preparations are in their final stages, with special effects being tested, kilometres of cable and fibre optics being rolled out, thousands of lights ready to be installed and Vivid themed-menus being finessed by Sydney's top chefs and restaurateurs,” Marshall said.

The expanded 2017 Vivid Sydney line-up includes more than 400 Vivid Music events, up from 190 in 2016, across 40 venues. There will also be more than 260 Vivid Ideas sessions, up from 183 in 2016, featuring 370 speakers from 12 countries across 67 venues.

“Vivid Sydney's biggest-ever program follows last year's record-breaking festival, which saw more than 2.31 million attendees, including more than 184,000 overnight domestic and international visitors (17,000 from China alone), contribute more than $110 million in visitor spend to the NSW economy,” Marshall said.

“As Vivid Sydney grows in scale and stature, it also grows in importance to the state's visitor economy, driving tourism for Sydney and rural and regional NSW, and reinforcing Sydney's reputation as a leading creative industries hub in the Asia Pacific region.

“Now is the perfect time for visitors to start planning their trip, and the best way to experience Vivid Sydney is to explore several precincts over different nights to take in all the lights and the sights.”